I'm a retired(?) programmer who spends his summers as a Forest Service camp host. I spend the mornings programming a "side" project and the afternoons panning

I'm a retired(?) programmer who spends his summers as a Forest Service camp host. I spend the mornings programming a "side" project and the afternoons panning for gold, fishing, etc. My boss described being a forest ranger in the Mt. Shasta area as the Forest Service equivalent of being a green beret. They carry automatic rifles and are totally isolated from support while dealing with drug growers and associated violent criminals. Not my idea of a comfortable job.